1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable harness designed to secure bags of various shapes and sizes to non-enclosed 2-wheel transportation vehicles such as bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, etc. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a harness for mounting a messenger bag to a bicycle pannier rack frame.
2. Discussion of Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a pannier mount 100 installed to a bicycle frame over a rear wheel of a bicycle. The mount is triangular in shape, formed of metal tubing and connected to the bicycle frame such that a support surface 102 is positioned over the rear wheel and secured to the seat stay 104 of the bicycle frame, and a portion of the frame is near the rear wheel hub 106. As shown, the triangle shaped mount has its base positioned over the rear wheel, with two downwardly-extending sides angled towards each other at a triangle apex proximate the rear wheel hub.
Such a mount 100 is designed to secure one or more pannier bags to a bicycle, as shown in FIG. 2. Typically, two pannier bags are connected, one on each side of the mount, to provide substantially equal weight distribution about the rear wheel of the bicycle. Known pannier bags are specifically designed for mounting to the pannier mount 100. As such, the bags—an example of which is shown on FIG. 3 which depicts (A) a front of the bag and (B) a back of the bag—includes mount hardware. The mount hardware comprises an upper clamp mechanism 50 positioned proximate a top of the bag which releasably connects to the metal tubing of the support surface 102. The mount hardware also includes an anchor mechanism 52 spaced downwardly from the upper clamp mechanism. The anchor mechanism is designed to anchor against the sides of the mount near the triangle apex by the rear wheel hub to prevent outward movement of the bag during operation of the bicycle.
A drawback of prior art pannier bags is that the bags must be specifically designed to be attachable to a pannier mount. As such, the bags are constructed with mount hardware, which adds significant cost. The practical implication is that many bicycle riders will only own a single pannier bag, or a matching pair of such bags. Thus, the rider does not have an option of safely attaching a regular (non-pannier) bag to a pannier mount, such as if the rider desires to use a smaller bag or a bag having a different aesthetic style or construction.